Children Orphaned by AIDS: Building Trusts in Africa to Maintain Children in Their Home Communities

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Children Orphaned by AIDS Building Trusts in
Africa to Maintain Children in Their Home
Communities
LTC Mark Chapin Ph.D LISW USUSHS
Bethesda, Maryland
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AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa

• 34 million HIV positive
• 1 million deaths last year
• 1.5 million new HIV infections
• Fastest growing group women 15-24 y.o.
• Greatest mortality in adults 20-40 y.o.
• Primary method of transmission is heterosexual
  contact
• Globalization and western culture change
  communities and accelerate transmission

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Families and AIDS
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Strategic Importance of Sub-Saharan Africa

• Geographic center of emerging infectious
  diseases AIDS, ebola, resistant TB strains,
  cholerasurveillance and early intervention
• More humanitarian than combat deployments of
  military medical resources real-world missions
  and training for them
• Direct aid to local communities builds positive
  perception of US and counteracts general negative
  opinion of US in the area.

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Zimbabwe Pandemic a Microcosm

• 25 of Population is HIV Positive
• 49 of pregnant women at Masvingo sentinel
  screening site are HIV
• 75 of Zim soldiers returning from Congo are HIV
• 5,000 deaths per week
• More teachers die each year than graduate college
• Shortage of wood for coffins cardboard popular
• Civil servants spending 29 of work time at
  funerals
• Shortage of working adults for agriculture
• 3 year drought and land resettlement worsen impact

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Murewha orphans
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Impact on Zimbabwes Children

• One million children orphaned by AIDS
• Destruction of extended family support system
• Siblings raise each other in child headed
  households
• Rising number of street children in urban areas
• One third Zimbabwes children orphans by 2015
• Compromised health status due to poverty, drought
• Estimated 25 also HIV positive
• Both vertical and horizontal transmission caring
  for ailing parents

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The Unseen Face of AIDS
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Impact on Zimbabwes Children

• In-laws blame each other, children stigmatized
• Child-headed households invisible in rural area
• Schools became aware first fainting of hunger
• Older siblings raise younger siblings
• Survival skills overwhelmed by normal crises
• Many older children leave school to work farm,
  tend children

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Help for the Orphan
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Governmental Response

• National AIDS Council dissolved corruption
• AIDS Levy 3 income tax, bought Land-Rover SUVs
  for Council members
• National AIDS Emergency declared May 2002
• No free or generic ARVs available, only private
  
• Cipla, Ranbaxy still awaiting clearance by
  Medicines Governing Board
• International staff relocating to countries with
  working programs

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Governmental Response

• AIDS Prevention Curriculum required for 3rd-8th
  grade elementary school
• BREM some school fees assistance for AIDS
  orphans
• US CDC operation in Harare
• UZ Med School national reference lab for testing
• Sentinel Surveillance of incidence prevalence
• Pilot programs in prevention and research
• Conflict with Govt and US, NGOs

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Community Based Orphan Trusts

• Started as churchs response to hungry children
• Community pools existing resources to share
• Local experts manage self-sufficiency projects
• Agricultural gardens, poultry, gum trees,
  muchrooms
• Brickmaking, sewing, maize grinding mill
• Informal bonding of orphans de-stigmatizes

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Muchinjike Secondary School
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Chinono Pimary School
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Muneno Village
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Church Affiliations
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Church Affiliations

• Catholic, Assembly of God, United Methodist,
  Anglican Churches have infrastructure
• United Methodist example
• Three hospitals
• Four orphanages
• Africa University
• Presence in Zimbabwe since 1907
• Well-organized district structure
• Connected to GBGM, UMCOR, VIM
• Regular transit of mission teams, clergy, money

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Greater Muchinjike Orphan Home Trust Full
Committee

• Strange Bedfellows
• Muchinjike Local UMC Congregation
• State run primary school stolen from church in
  1980
• VIM Mission team from US

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Development of New Partnership

• Necessity put aside 20 years of hostility
• Critical mass of teachers also church members
• Beginning parallel efforts, open to joint
  operation
• US church mission team has resources, mandate to
  build orphan trusts where possible

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Organizing an Orphan Trust
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Develop an Orphans RegisterOutreach into the
community to find children
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Form a Governing BoardWrite Constitution and
By-laws
GMOHT Organizing Committee
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Ambassador Ben Jambgwa

• Invite a Patron

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Organizing an Orphan Trust

• Open local bank account
• Identify program project managers
• Register with National AIDS Council
• Seek resources, training, and funding

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Resourcing an Orphan Trust

• Local Communities
• Volunteers
• Local Experts
• Land
• Housing
• Locally grown Food

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Kindergarten Day
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Painting project
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Working together
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Local Talents
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Resourcing an Orphan Trust

• Extended Community
• Leveling of support across communities
• Communications
• Connectivity
• Funding

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Kindergarten Dedication
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Matilda Jambgwa, AIDS Educator and Activist
Training Programs
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Resourcing an Orphan Trust

• Private Foundations
• funding
• Handspring small grants microenterprise
• Expansion
• Ranbaxy Pharmaceutical Corp
• Gates Foundation

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Resourcing an Orphan Trust

• FBO and NGO
• Funding
• Program personnel
• Technical expertise

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Fairfield Cottages Indiana Conference of UMC
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Gamu ARVs provided by United for Children
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New Well at Muchinjike
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Resourcing an Orphan Trust

• Government funding
• Expansion of pilot programs
• Larger programs possible on national level
• Building programs into national policy
• Prevention education
• BREM
• Perinatal Nevirapine
• Cooperation with CDC an U. of Zimbabwe

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Resourcing an Orphan Trust

• International organizations
• Export pilot programs
• UNAIDS
• WHO
• UMCOR
• International sources of funding

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Programming an Orphan Trust
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Basics First Feed the Children
Murewha Surviving Child Program
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Basics first House the children Muchinjike
Village
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Basics First Educate the Children
Muchinjike Primary School
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Train Caregivers to visit orphans, deliver
resources, and provide connection to larger
community
Building Community
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Building Community
Gather orphans together for bonding, support,
and de-stigmatization
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Move toward self-sufficiencyProjects to build,
grow, earnProjects to learn survival and
marketable skills
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Why it Makes Sense

• Builds on strengths of community
• Works within communitys values
• Brings in resources beyond local community

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Aaron Building Benches
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Next Steps

• Feed the children
• Export and expand to the other 996,00 children
  orphaned by AIDS

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The Face of AIDS Sharon RusikeMarch 2001

• Pilot program to deliver anti-retroviral
  medications to 20 children

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SharonJune 2002

• Comprehensive health assessment of all children
  in orphan trusts epidemiology

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Dramatic Reading on AIDS

• Moving up Maslows pyramidal hierarchy
• emotional needs of love, belonging, and grieving

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Drama Club Dance The Face of AIDS
Movement toward self-actualization
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The Face of AIDS
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Why not just send money?
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Why not just send money?
Organized group to bring a Zimbabwean student to
college in US. Leader of 2003 mission trip
Been on 3 mission trips to Zimbabwe. Inspired
several other congregations to send mission teams
to Zimbabwe
Going on 3rd mission trip to Zimbabwe in March
2003. Board member of GMOHT
2 mission trips to Zimbabwe. Coordinates
communications among team members and provides
wire service updates
Called from church secretary to ordained pastor.
Board member of GMOHT. Leader of 2003 mission
trip to Zim
Organized Classes for 800 primary students in
Zimbabwe. Helped collect school supplies for
Muchinjike Primary school. Donates clay for
widows bead making projects.
Got grant for 15,000 to fund GMOHT. Started 2
HIV kids on ARVs. Found free ARVs for 20
kids. Made 3 trips to ZIM
Raised 30,000 speaking at churches. Went back
to Zim for 6 week mission to teach widows to sew.
Financed 3 orphan trusts and bought 11 hand
sewing machines and maize ginding mill to launch
micro-enterprise. Going back for 4th trip in 2003!
Helped collect 400 boxes of clothes, medical and
school supplies to fill a 20 ft shipping
container for GMOHT
Gives monthly to GMOHT and other trusts Going
back for 3rd time in 2003
Decided to become a Social Worker after mission
trip
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